Wakemastopilus Highschool: Act II

feels like we've been livin' in fast forward

Felicity was growing more and more overwhelmed. Everything was happening so fast! Vincent was bringing her to his house, and it wasn't even four o' clock yet!

She felt like she had been overloaded with information. I bet you do too, reader-kun. Allow me to explain.

Intina was a ghost that Vincent had grown interested in when he saw him wandering around school. Felicity, in an attempt to get closer to Vincent, lied and said she could see him too. Vincent's personality took a complete 180 and he introduced her to Intina, who she actually could see. Vincent and Intina then proposed that Felicity help them protect Wakemastopilus from dangerous ghosts, since Vincent couldn't do it. They then went back to the high school, where Intina planned to show Felicity an example of a dangerous ghost, where they meet a particularly milky ghost… Vincent says that they'll give Felicity a means to protect herself, and that is where we left off.

I hope you are now up to date, reader-kun. I know this is fast paced. Just wait for the drop.

Vincent and Felicity pulled up to a small, modest house. Felicity was surprised - yet another house that didn't fit the mold of regular Wakemastopilus houses! She hoped that one day she'd be able to go inside of one. But that's not to say she didn't appreciate the small house with the Christian paraphernalia covered yard. The yard looked like it hadn't been mown in months, however, so most of the tiny statues of Mary and Joseph were towered over by blades of grass. Felicity nearly tripped over one on their walk to the door.

When they entered, Felicity was hit with stale air and an eyeful of crosses. The wall was littered with them, in all sizes, and at the center of the calamity was a small, simple sign that read "home, sweet home".

"Wow," she breathed, frowning. "This is…you really like…like, Jesus and stuff."

"It's not mine," Vincent said, voice low, like he didn't want to be heard. "I don't like talking about it."

He sat down on the couch below the "home, sweet home" sign and Felicity joined him. After a few moments, Felicity frowned. "Where's Intina?"

"He can't come in here," Vincent said, his voice still quiet. Felicity began to wonder that, even though the house was so quiet and almost dead-feeling, there was someone else at home. "It's all the religious stuff. Ghosts don't really like it."

"Oh!" Felicity felt pretty silly. Of course they wouldn't! "That's pretty sad. You guys look like such good friends." At the sight of a sad frown on Vincent's face, she stuttered, looking down at her lap with a red face. "I-I mean, it must be hard not being able to meet in your house and always have to go to that gloomy graveyard. Yeah, sorry, I didn't mean to offend you or anything-"

"It's okay," Vincent said. He leaned over, sliding a box out from underneath the couch. Felicity assumed their conversation was over. She looked down at the back of Vincent's head as he rummaged through the box he pulled out. A pale triangle of his neck was visible above the hood of his sweatshirt and between the parting of his hair. She looked away quickly. How indecent!

He came back up, holding a small black case. It looked kind of like a wallet. She watched as he unhooked the buckle and opened it up. Her eyes widened when she saw what was inside.

"Knives?!" She said, astonished.

Vincent nodded. He used gentle fingers to slide one out of the case. It flashed in his hand. "Here, hold one."

Felicity clumsily took it. Vincent's hand was cool against hers, and she blushed uselessly, almost dropping it onto her leg blade-first. Vincent scolded her for not being careful, but she couldn't help it. After situating herself again, she looked down at the weapon. It fit perfectly into the palm of her hand. Though she wasn't too keen on having weapons, these knives were pretty cool. She looked back up at Vincent. "How would I protect Wakemastopilus from dangerous ghosts with these, though?"

"Simple," Vincent said, the chipper tone in his voice returning. He took hold of her hand in his own, moving her fingers. She tried really hard to concentrate. "You hold it like this, and then you throw it like it's a frisbee. They're blessed, so they'll hurt a ghost a lot, and kill them if you hit them right."

Felicity took a pretend pitch. She imagined the knife sailing from her hand and landing in the center of the face of the man in the framed photo atop the television. He looked similar to Vincent. She pointed him out. "Is that your dad?"

"No," he said instantly. "No. He's not." He quickly sealed the case of knives up and handed them to Felicity. "C'mon, I don't like leaving Intina alone for a long time."

"He came with us?" Felicity asked, fumbling with the case before following Vincent, who had gotten up and began to briskly walk to the front door.

"Of course," Vincent said, incredulous. "He's as interested in your help as I am."

Felicity looked down at her feet, embarrassed, as they exited. Intina was on the sidewalk, leaning against Vincent's mailbox and sifting through a magazine. He looked up as they neared, raising an eyebrow. "Did you give them to her?"

"Yes," Vincent said, before snatching the magazine from Intina's hands. "Stop reading our mail."

"There's not much else I can do," Intina sighed. He looked at Felicity. "Do you think you can join us to patrol the high school this weekend? We've never had someone who can actually have a weapon with us. I think you'd help a lot."

Felicity played with the buckle on the case. "Sure." She scratched at her head. "Um, are there only ghosts at the school?"

Intina shrugged. Vincent looked thoughtful. "Dunno. I've never seen them anywhere else. I think the school attracts them because there's so many people there all the time."

"Oh!" She brightened up, smiling at the boys. "That makes sense."

Vincent offered to take her home, and she agreed. By the time she got home, it was six. Her uncle sat on the porch, presumably waiting for her, and looking tiredly at them as they rolled up on Vincent's motorcycle. He didn't say anything as he let Felicity in, but he did cast a long look at Vincent, who hurriedly left, speeding off into the distance. Felicity guessed her uncle didn't like the idea of her hanging out with boys. What a sad, old man!